Copper thefts at schools cause leaks, air quality problems

LOUISVILLE, KY — The theft of copper from the roofs of 14 Jefferson County schools over the past two months has left the buildings in need of repair and susceptible to more damage, according to WLKY.

According to the story, temporary repairs have been made at two elementary schools, but permanent repairs to all the affected schools would cost the school district around $100,000.

Michael Mulheirn, executive director of facilities for Jefferson County Public Schools, said: "The worse thing that can happen is obviously we can get water into the building. It can also, if you''re not careful, get into the roofing system and insulation underneath and that''s when you can eventually end up with indoor air quality problems."

The thieves are only getting an average of $2.85 per pound of copper from area scrap yards, the story stated.

Mulheirn added: "What they get for that copper is very small and the repair is very expensive, and if we weren''t quick enough to get everything controlled and contained, we could have even more expense and that''s dollars we can''t spend on educating kids."

Detectives say they have several leads and surveillance video, the story added.